What's Going on With the Golden Bear Club?

Last year, the buzz about the Golden Bear Club--a music venue demolished in 1986 that hosted Bob Dylan, the Doors and more--was that its latest incarnation would open in Huntington Beach in early 2011.

Well, half the year is done, and while its Facebook page showed images of construction (the idea was a 7,500-square-foot music venue would be built where the original was on Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street) in July of last year and made a call for employment applications in August 2010, there's been no news from the developers . . . until yesterday.

This was posted as The Golden Bear Club status last night: "Unfortunately the city of Huntington Beach was not economically supportive of a new venue opening in their area and the Golden Bear project is on hold until further notice :(" Jon Reiser, one of the club developers, explained in a short email, "The city passed several ordinances restricting new bars and clubs from opening in the downtown area. The project is on hold until it can go through the Conditional Use Permit process successfully."